Amon Tobin is a name that’s hard to separate from the arc of Ninja Tune, being one of the labels brightest stars for about 10 years. His murky take on the IDM aesthetic crossed with drum n’ bass produced some of the darkest and best work in Ninja Tunes catalogue in the late 90s and early 00s. His best tracks don’t seem to age, still affecting as ever.

Unfortunately, he made the odd decision to do the soundtrack for Choas Theory video game in 2005. The album is solid, but it didn’t do much to advance his sound. His next album, Foley Room, also seemed to tread water, not producing anything particularly gripping. It just didn’t sound particularly fresh. Fortunately, during the last couple years, he seems to have captured it again.

Like the Bug last year, Amon Tobin’s found what he was looking for in collaborations on his new album/project Two Fingers, hooking up with Brighton producer Doubleclick and British MC Sway. Sway somehow manages to flourish in the barrage of sawtoothed sound. His delivery matches the intensity of the beats perfectly, pushing the downtempo tracks into even more shadowy territory and bringing the more frantic beats to a fever pitch.

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Two Step, “Straw Men”

This is my pick from the album — I saw a short clip of this track on youtube awhile ago, and my expectations went through the roof. The full version delivers:

[audio:http://www.needledrop.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/01-two_fingers-straw_men_feat_sway.mp3]

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Two Step, “What You Know”

The first single, slower and much more tense:

[audio:http://www.needledrop.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/01-what-you-know.mp3]

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Two Step, “Not Perfect”

Some RnBurial, complete with a woodblock-y bass drum rhythm and a little “I heard it through the grapevine” in the chorus:

[audio:http://www.needledrop.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/11-not-perfect-feat-sway.mp3]

As good as these tracks are, I cannot wait for them to get remixed. Some of those mad genius dubstep producers could go wild with this source material. Let’s hope the networks come together and make it happen.